Developments in miniaturization and optics have provided new instruments and techniques to treat various medical problems. Examples are the "Cystoscope" and the "Resectoscope" used to treat bladder and prostate maladies.
When using such instruments, which are less intrusive than other types of surgery, procedures require that the bladder be irrigated with fluids to enable diagnosis and surgical procedures using the associated optics in the instruments.
These irrigating fluids become contaminated with blood and tissue during the surgical procedures and the contaminated fluids must be drained and replaced before the physician can continue. In these instruments the eye piece is retracted so the contaminated fluids can drain from the bladder into a receptacle. Egress of such fluids from the bladder during such procedures may splash the physician with these fluids since he must still manipulate the instrument while carrying out this procedure. Also, when the eye piece is re-inserted into the instrument, some of the fluid is sprayed from the joint during this procedure. As the blood, the tissue, the prostate and the bladder all may host infectious diseases, such as AIDS, there is a need to isolate the physician from such fluids while allowing him to continue to observe the patient and operate the instrument. Thus, a useful shield must also satisfy this function.
Such a shield must also be deflectable since the physician must perform the procedures in close proximity to the natural body openings of the bladder. This usually requires the physician accomplish the procedures from a location between the patient's legs with the patient in a dorsal lithotomy position which is also known as the "birthing position". Therefore the shield must be connected to the instrument with a semi-flexible joint to allow deflection thereof when the situation demands as the instrument must be moved up and down, as well as from right to left during the procedures whereby it may contact the patient or the operating table. If the shield did not deflect in such circumstances it would interfere with the physician's procedures.
The current shield meets the criteria outlined above. In addition, it provides an economical protective shield which can be discarded after each use because of its low cost.
Of course, the instant invention has other advantages, as will be obvious from the description of it and in the accompanying drawings.